St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-07-14
THE PROFESSORS PUPIL.

The big front chamber had been SO
grim and ghostly, always shut up and
empty. 1t was our spare room when
poor, dear Charley was alive; but now
that was widow and poor it was a
needless luxury to keep a guest cham
Der. None of our old friends cared to
visit me now, just as / needed them
most, when J! was lonely and sad and
miserable, they refused to come. But
when Mr.. Slade took the room | didn't
grieve about the loss of friends. 1t
seemed odd to have money for the
guest chamber, but the way was sit
mated recOnciled me to the thought
very speedily indeed. Then when my
boy Charley got into that scrape at
school | should just have died if it had
been anybOdy but Mr.. Slade.
"Madam," he said, ''yOur boy is mis-
chievOus-very mischievOus."
"Yes, SIR" said meekly.
"And to extend a rope in such a
manner that the unconscious heels of
his teacher shall be tripped up there
by; to fill the hat of his instructor
with stones; to put wax upon the
bench so that the tails of his coat may
adhere to this sticky substance, and
thus come to grief-all these things
are very reprehensible, madam, and
merit a condign punishment"
eyes, sir" L replied, and wiped
away my regretful tears, for l knew
what was coming.
Either Charley would be expelled
from the school or dreadfully beaten
by this injured man. 1t was better to
have him beaten than expelled, but
either was horrible.
"Please don't expel him, Mr.. Slade,"
l said. ale must be punished, of
course; but please don't beat him very
hard"
81 shall not beat him at all ," he said.
"DOn't expel him." entreated.
"Nor expel him." he replied. "If
you'll leave the boy to me there will
be no further trouble. He has a good
heart and an open, generous, manly
nature. I'll appeal to these, madam,
if you'll allow me. l think we can get
along with Charley if we take the
right way"
"Oh, Mr.. Slade !" said Chow noble
you are how generous how magnan-
imOus | think heaven was good to
send me such "a bOarder."
He grew little red under my praise
self out but really he looked like an
archangel to me as he walked down
the street. OF course, the simile was
absurd. He was tall and lean and I'M
calmly the tails of his long coat did
not flap as gracefully as many another
coat close by. Charley said he was
knock kneed, but to me that day he
was all that was desirable i'll man.
ha ho ri off
that was miraculous; there is no other
word for it. The boy was as wild and
untamable as young colt when Mr..
Slade took hold of him, and shortly af-
forwards he was the most tractable
and orderly of mOrtals. L could see,
though, the time and trouble it cost to
work such wonders with him. In the
spring they went fishing together, and
Mr.. Slade taught Charley how to man.
age his hook and line, and wheedle the
poor little fish to his bait. In midsum-
mer they got up collection of beetles
and bugs and all sorts of things. 1t
was terrible to the poor insects, l sup
pose but oh, dear heaven ! what a
rest and comfort it was to me to have
Charley amused and kept out of trOu-
BILE.
| began to rest upon Mr.. Slade, to
cOnfde in him, to ask his advice, and
invariably to take it upon all Occa-
siOns; to gratefully take advantage of
his knack in repairing things about
the house, putting in order trouble
some domestic utensils. He always
put up the shades in hOuse-cleaning
time, and hung the pictures and what
should have done without him that
time the machine got out of order
heaven only knows. L had dress to
finish for Mrs. Chapel, and was work
ing away when all at once the machine
began to squeak dreadfully. 1t was a
rasping noise, fit to raise the hair on
ones head, and mine had ached dread
fully all the morning. L oiled and
fused at it, but all to no purpose it
squeaked more and more. And to
crown it all the nice pumpkin pie | had
made for Mr.. SHADES luncheon was
burned to a crisp. | smelled it, and
rushed to the stove, but too late. 1t
was a black ruin, and L sat down and
cried over it. 1t seemed to me so sad
and terrible l wanted to lie down and
die, when in walked Mr.. Slade to his
luncheon.
"It's no use coming in" l said 81
don't know how you can board here
anyway, am such a miserable house
keeper. 1t would be so much better
if Charley and l were dead"
"What has happened Z" asked Mr..
Slade.
of alarm on his face.
alt is very sad," | said, "tO burn the
crust of a nice pie all to a crisp"
"Now for me it is a most excellent
mischaDce. Of all things in the world
/ revere the burned crust of a pie. l
have hesitated to declare this predi-
lection, because know it is a remark
able one, and not at all likely to be
shared by the majority of people but
fortune has favored me to-day. Mrs.
Sweet, let us have the pie by all
means ~
And he actually lifted the horrible
thing to the table, and ate it-yes, he
ate (which was the most grateful
piece of martyrdOm | ever saw in a
man. And then l got courage to tell
how | burned it; that Mrs. Chapel
must have that dress, and the machine
had begun to squeak in the most hOr-
rible way that l oiled it and fused
WIN lt, all 10 no purpose, ana now L
was to finish that dress of Mrs. Chap
pel's with that dreadful noise distract.
ing my poor brain didn't know.
"We'll look at it," he said in that
resting, comforting, soul cheering way
of his, and as l followed him into the
sitting room, knew in my heart that
he would exercise the squeaking de-
mon from the machine and he did.
''It's the ball" he said otis become
smooth from friction, and if you'll
bring me a little -four or meal, Mrs.
Sweet-stay, here is a piece of chalk,